Product description

Grace Bonney's daily website Design*Sponge -dubbed Martha Stewart Living for MillennialsA" by The New York Times -has 60,000 daily readers who love the site for its home tours and makeovers, DIY projects, recipes, videos, and podcasts. Bonney created the site in 2004 as an antidote to the fussy ( and expensive) shelter magazines of her mother's generation, turning it into a rallying point for crafty young homeowners everywhere. Culled fro her site, but with 50 percent all-new material, DESIGN*SPONGE DECORATING ESSENTIALS is Bonney's definative guide to creating a stylish home for young homeowners and renters. This is truly Design on a Dime-from the tours of real-life interiors, where the decor was culled from flea markets and the owners' objects as a butterfly dome. Along the way, Bonney teaches the reader the principles of decorating and collecting, empowering them to create beautiful homes of their own.

Customer reviews

Design*Sponge at Home is an awesome book and a great addition to any library! It has some great inspiration photos and galleries as well as a DIY section to make cheap, yet classy decor for your home.
There is also a handy glossary of flea market locations and handy websites for different items around the home.
What i loved most about the book is its variety. All homes that were included in this book were different so their were plenty of ideas!!

this review is adapted from a longer one at the liberal sprinkles blog
http://liberalsprinkles.blogspot.com/2011/08/design-sponge-at-home-book-review.html

Design*Sponge at Home is full of inspiring and do-able ideas that will get your creative juices flowing. It's interesting to see the different styles and tastes of people reflected in the homes they live in; and the photos, tips and suggestions will inspire and help you get crafty and creating so you can bring your own personality to your own home, whether it is by adding accents to rooms and furnishings or taking on a major renovation project.

The book brings to print some of the Design*Sponge blog's best-loved features:

** Sneak Peeks takes us on tours of 65 apartments and houses of varying designs and styles across the US and as far away as South Africa, Singapore and Australia. The photos are enough to give you a serious case of home-envy but you can try replicating all that gorgeousness with the decorating and renovating and tips. There are also resource guides in the book.

:: 50 DIY projects. The cost, time needed and level of difficulty are indicated. They include practical things like tea towels and display jars, as well as decorative accents like window films and pressed botanical specimens. There's a chapter on DIY basics but for some items, you'll need to already know how to get going, for instance how to use a sewing machine or a glue gun. But there are plenty of easy projects for complete beginners. Among the simplest are a cake stand, which basically involves glueing an plate to a candlestick, and map-covered boxes.

:: Before and After: this is a regular blog column where furniture and rooms get a bit of love and a makeover. Again, the cost, time required and difficulty level are listed. There are lots of projects almost anyone can tackle with a bit of paint, some glue and a hammer. And at least 10 cost less than $50 to complete.

This is one of the things I love best about the blog and the book - it makes home decor and renovation so accessible and affordable. You don't need to be rich to beautify and transform your home. You don't have to be a serial DIYer or spend buckets of money to turn your home into a beautiful place that reflects your personality and style. You can do much of the work yourself if you like, and there's plenty enough in the book to get you going.

Additionally, there is a chapter devoted to flower arrangments with guidelines on the basic you need to know and instructions to create 20 arrangements.

5+ stars. Well worth the money.

Review quote

"Design Sponge at Home" is about to become your next obsession. It s a 400-page, gold foil-covered bible of hip homes, easy chic projects, and smart decorating ideas. Bonus: a handy resource guide in the back tells you where to score everything from antiques to bath tile. "Coastal Living" If you re not already a fan of designsponge.com, Grace Bonney s style-saturated website, you ll fall in love with her book. "Better Homes & Gardens" Bonney s book is a how-to guide for great design. Not only is it beautiful to look at, there are tons of design ideas on every page. " Austin American-Statesman" Part beauty, part inspiration, part resource, Bonney s book . . . serves as both a wonderful coffee table tome to page through and a resource to guide you through a variety of home decor projects. " Portland Oregonian" Chic cleverness, in book form. . . . Accessible decor inspiration. " Dallas Morning News" A one-stop book for inspiration and practical guidance. " Cleveland Plain Dealer" "